TheBuzz
TheBuzz
This Oscar is no baloney
Oscar is coming to town for a party and he will make a lei-bedecked grand entrance on the shores of Waikiki from an outrigger canoe.
Not Oscar de la Hoya, not Oscar Madison, not Oscar The Grouch but the one whose nominative origin is unclear, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (www.ampas.org).
Nevertheless the unmistakably familiar 13-1/2-inch tall, 8-1/2- pound gold-plated britannium statuette will come ashore Saturday to help publicize the Hawaii International Film Festival's 10th annual "Oscar Night America" in Honolulu.
"Like any other celebrity he's going to hide out," said veteran Honolulu PR man and HIFF board member Peter Rosegg. "He may be seen in Waikiki wearing dark glasses."
Guests at the 4 to 9 p.m. party March 24 will see the Academy Awards show before the masses; they can also have pictures taken with Oscar.
One of only seven "authorized" Oscar parties around the country, this year's benefit will be in and around the Monarch Room and Coronet Lounge in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
Admission to the "black-tie extremely optional" affair, Rosegg said, is $125 and includes membership in HIFF. Members pay $75 per ticket.
American cuisine
This news comes too late for Philly cheesesteak lovers, but the Waikiki Parc Hotel's Parc Cafe will again feature East Coast fare as part of its All-American lunch buffet, introduced last month.Regulars gasping at the horrifying thought of change can resume breathing. Favorites at the $15.95 lunch buffet appear along with New Orleans-style Cajun and creole dishes on Thursdays and Saturdays in March.
"I was very pleased with the quality of the food that my cooks put out," said Executive Chef Don Maruyama.
Presentation is toned down so diners can spice their own, he said.
The restaurant's action station produces made-to-order "Po' Boy" sandwiches while beignets are the star dessert attraction as the malasada-like fried pastry is done to order. "It's part of the show," Maruyama said.
The patriotism-inspired All-American theme has increased lunch business, he said.
"I think the restaurant itself has weathered the (Sept. 11) tragedy better than the hotel because we have that local support. The hotel is coming back, slowly coming back, but the locals have been supporting us all the way," he said.
Regional cuisines to follow include southern, southwestern, midwestern and others still being considered.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com